The lifespan of Japanese women is the world's longest, according to figures released on Thursday, July 31, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese men's life expectancy rose above 80 for the first time in 2013, but was still several years below that of their female counterparts, whose lifespan was the world's longest, figures released on Thursday showed.

A Japanese boy born in 2013 can now expect to live 80.21 years, up from 79.94 years in 2012, the Health Ministry said.

The average lifespan of Japanese women rose to 86.61 years in 2013, up from 86.41 the previous year, making them the world's longest-lived females for the second year running. In second place were women in Hong Kong, whose life expectancy hit 86.57 last year.

Japanese men ranked fourth on the longevity list of the world's 50 major countries and regions behind Hong Kong, Iceland and Switzerland, the Health Ministry said. Hong Kong's average male lifespan was 80.87.